The litmus test for four tribal former Chief Ministers in the BJP’s camp, while the challenge is tough under the leadership of India Block’s Hemant Soren.
The bugle of assembly elections has been sounded in Jharkhand. Voting will be held in two phases on November 13 and November 20 and the results will be declared on November 23. The process of claims-counter-claims and allegations-counter-allegations is intense, but in the elections in a state where tribals are important, the focus will undoubtedly be on tribal votes. Interestingly, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Chief Minister Hemant Soren is leading the charge on behalf of the India Bloc, while the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has four former tribal chief ministers Babulal Marandi, Arjun Munda, Champai Soren and Madhu. Are whip. All of them are not only former Chief Ministers, but are also considered strong leaders in their respective circles. Amidst the laughter and banter in the political circles, there is also speculation that there are big tribal leaders in BJP but there is not even a single leader of the tribals. In this sense, this election is like a litmus test for all four of them.
The reasons for bringing these tribal former Chief Ministers into BJP’s fold are clear. In fact, in the last assembly elections in 2019, BJP was able to win only two seats out of 28 reserved for tribals. In the Lok Sabha elections this year, the party had to face defeat on all the five seats reserved for tribals. Arjun Munda, who is holding the Ministry of Tribal Affairs at the Centre, could also not save his seat from Khunti. This has shaken the BJP to its core in Jharkhand, which has about 26 percent tribal population. Apparently, the tribals are said to be upset with the BJP for sending Hemant Soren to jail in such a case through central agencies recently, which was completely rejected by the Jharkhand High Court.
Therefore, the BJP leadership is trying to make inroads among the tribals in every aspect. The central leadership of the party is taking all kinds of measures to give strength to big tribal leaders. Champai Soren, who is called the Tiger of Kolhan, is considered to be the leader with the strongest hold in Kolhan. Champai, a product of the separate Jharkhand movement, is a six-time MLA from Seraikela. During the Jharkhand movement, he used to live in the forests and draw the outline of the movement. He has influence in many assembly constituencies of Kolhan. After becoming the Chief Minister, his sphere of influence expanded within a short time. As soon as he joined BJP, he became aggressive about alleged Bangladeshi infiltration. He said that he decided to join BJP only to save Santhal Pargana from Bangladeshi infiltrators. BJP wants to use Kolhan’s Tiger to woo the Santhal tribals.
Test: Four former chief ministers in BJP – Champai Soren, Babulal Marandi (above), Arjun Munda and Madhu Koda
By the way, there is internal discussion in BJP that State President Babulal Marandi is not very comfortable with Champai Soren. He is not able to digest any other big stature tribal leader easily. Babulal Marandi was the first Chief Minister of the state. Later he ran a party named Jharkhand Vikas Morcha for about 14 years. After the setback on tribal seats in the 2019 elections, the BJP leadership included him again in the BJP with respect. The chair of legislative party leader was kept vacant for him for many months. Babulal came but due to the entanglement of the Assembly Speaker in the anti-defection law, he could not become the Leader of Opposition. Ultimately he was handed over the post of BJP state president, although Babulal did not prove to be effective on the tribal vote front for the party. The defeat in several by-elections and all the seats reserved for tribals in the Lok Sabha elections disappointed the BJP leadership.
Apart from this, Arjun Munda, who was the Chief Minister of Jharkhand from 2003 to 2006, comes from East Singhbhum. Kolhan has been his workplace. He has also been the leader of opposition in the assembly. He has also been MLA from Kharsawan and MP from Jamshedpur. He was elected MP from Khunti in 2019. He was the Tribal Welfare Minister at the Centre, but had to face defeat in 2024. He is also said to have limited influence among the Munda tribals.
Similarly, Champai, who became the Chief Minister after Hemant Soren was jailed, had to leave the post after his release and being “hurt” by this, Champai joined the BJP. The very next day after Champai’s joining, when Lobin Hembram, a five-time MLA representing the Borio region of Santhal Pargana, joined the BJP on August 31, former Chief Minister Madhu Koda was also on the stage. BJP state president Babulal Marandi welcomed him wearing a saffron scarf. Even when Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Jamshedpur on September 15 to address the Parivartan Maharally, Madhu Koda was seen on the stage. For a long time, BJP has been sidelining Madhu Koda, who is involved in scams worth Rs 4,000 crore. Madhu Koda will be a unique person in the country and the world, who became the Chief Minister while being an independent MLA. He became the fifth Chief Minister of Jharkhand on 18 September 2006 and remained the Chief Minister for 709 days. Obviously, if BJP has been aggressive about the scams and corruption of JMM government, then who will welcome Madhu Koda with pride. It is a different matter that he was also secretly given a place on the Prime Minister’s dais. No big leader wants to open his mouth on his joining the BJP, however, just before the Lok Sabha elections, Madhu Koda’s wife Geeta Koda, the Congress MP from Singhbhum, was plucked by the BJP and fielded her in the parliamentary elections from Singhbhum, but she did not retain her seat. Could save.
For BJP, capturing Kolhan is necessary to increase its influence on tribal votes. After formation of a separate state, seven faces became Chief Ministers. Among them, except Raghuvar Das, all were from the tribal community. Of these, five former Chief Ministers are currently in the BJP’s camp. It is also a coincidence that four out of these five Chief Ministers come from Kolhan. Raghuvar Das, Arjun Munda, Champai Soren and Madhu Koda. In such a situation, BJP is under intense siege to capture Kolhan. In the last assembly elections, BJP had to face defeat on all the 14 seats of Kolhan. Here nine seats are reserved for tribals. In the 2019 assembly elections, JMM had captured 11 out of 14 seats and Congress had captured two. Except for Jamshedpur East and West seats, tribal votes are decisive in the remaining seats of Kolhan.
In his third term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to Jharkhand for the first time and held a meeting in Jamshedpur. In a way, this was an opportunity to project Champai Soren afresh in BJP and also an opportunity to rub velvet on the tribal community of other areas along with Kolhan. He gifted six Vande Bharat trains and schemes worth Rs 660 crore and cornered JMM and Congress on the issue of Bangladeshi infiltration to heal the tribals. He said, “Infiltration is a big issue in the state. Demography is changing very rapidly due to infiltration of Bangladeshi and Rohingya. The population of tribals is decreasing rapidly in Santal Pargana, the land of the people here is being grabbed. JMM, which made its politics shine with the votes of the tribals, is standing with the infiltrators who are occupying the tribal land.
BJP is trying to raise the issue of Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltration to portray itself as a well-wisher of the tribals. BJP is planning at micro level to target Santhal tribals. Many tribal conferences were also held in the districts under the banner of Tribal Front. Of the 18 assembly seats in Santhal Pargana, seven are reserved for tribals, all of them are held by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. In order to increase its influence in this area, the party had included JMM’s elder daughter-in-law Shibu Soren and three-time Jama’s MLA Sita Soren in the BJP and fielded her in the parliamentary elections from Dumka.
Hope of victory: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Parivartan Mahasabha rally in Hazaribagh, Jhakhand
Madhu Koda and Geeta Koda belong to the Ho community among the tribals. They are in abundance in Kolhan. More than twenty lakh people speak Ho language in the state. Now BJP is busy playing Ho card. Recently a delegation met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to include Ho language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The delegation was also accompanied by Chief Minister of Assam and election co-in-charge of Jharkhand Himanta Biswa Sarma and former MP Geeta Koda. Amit Shah has assured of positive action on their demand. Former Chief Minister Champai Soren has also written a letter to the Union Home Minister regarding inclusion in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. BJP is again trying to activate Shailendra Mahato, who was one of the leading leaders of the Jharkhand movement, who has represented the Jamshedpur parliamentary seat several times. His wife, former MP Abha Mahato, was present on the stage with the Prime Minister during his visit to Jamshedpur. Mahato community also has a good hold in Kolhan. BJP also wants to take advantage of their influence.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren is also active in view of breaking Champhai and BJP’s Kolhan operation. He has made about half a dozen visits within a month. On the same day Champai Soren joined BJP, Hemant Soren made Kolhan’s Ghatshila MLA Ramdas Soren the Minister of Water Resources and Higher and Technical Education. These departments were with Champai. Chaibasa MLA Deepak Birua is already a minister in Hemant cabinet. Big leaders have been appointed here to blunt the edge of Champai. Coordination is being maintained with the heads of the self-governance system. A meeting has also been held with the local committee here in Ranchi. As soon as he came to power, Hemant Soren sent the proposal of Sarna religion code in the census after getting it passed unanimously in the assembly for a separate identity for the tribals. Till date BJP has not been able to find its solution.
12 thousand rupees annually under Mayiya Samman Yojana for women above eighteen years of age, Sarvajan Pension Yojana, Savitribai Phule Yojana, Sona Sobaran Dhoti Saree Yojana, Abua Housing, free electricity up to 200 units, agricultural loan waiver up to two lakhs, poor BJP is under siege from schemes like Rs 15 lakh health insurance, Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Overseas Scholarship etc. which benefit the tribals and the poor.
Here BJP has intensified the election campaign. From September 20, Amit Shah started BJP’s Parivartan Yatra from Bhaganadih in Sahibganj and Jharkhandi Dham in Giridih. Bangladeshi infiltration and corruption is a big issue in that also. Parivartan Yatra includes areas of big leaders like Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP President JP Nadda, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai, former Union Minister Smriti Irani. There was a gathering.
The BJP leadership has tried to ease the path of former Chief Ministers by cornering the tribal votes, but there seems to be a severe lack of mutual coordination among the big tribal leaders regarding their respective ambitions.
